DCUSU Presidential candidate: Adam Healy

Callum Lavery

Commuter engagement, a healthy campus and a new disability officer are just three items on DCU Student’s Union Presidential Candidate, Adam Healy’s manifesto.

Currently serving as Humanities Faculty Representative, final year English and History student, Healy has thrown his name in for the DCUSU’s 2019 elections.

“I’ve had the best years of my life in DCU, and would love the opportunity to give back,” he said.

“I can see what needs to be improved. I think that the DCU Students’ Union, this year especially, has done very well, but I think I can enhance that and keep up the good work and make sure all the little mistakes and things that haven’t been dealt with are fixed and won’t happen again.”

A large part of Healy’s manifesto is supporting a healthy lifestyle on campus, both mentally and physically.

“A big thing for me this year is health and wellbeing, and the stigma around it,” said the chairperson of SoberSoc.

“DCU are huge advocates of mental health, we have a fantastic 24-seven councillor service but I feel like a lot of our students don’t know about it. I want to promote that and push it more.”

“A big part of my manifesto is DCU Healthy, we need to get the students knowing about it, and having events for it.”

Adam is also active in campaigning for engagement with DCU students unable to live near campus.

“I’m a commuter, and for me to enjoy my college life after six o’clock I have to stay in and not go home. And that would mean having some dinner here, unless I bring it in, and we have no microwaves, that would mean eating bad food all the time.”

“A lot of the issues I see with commuter students is them going home early after lectures and not participating in society life or college life in general, and there are a lot of students, myself included that are feeling very left out.”

“I would like to push societies to run daytime events, like in Sobersoc. We run events at two o’clock on Wednesdays because it is usually a half day for lecturers.”

Hiring on a disability officer is also high on Adam’s manifesto, but he acknowledged the amount of training needed for whoever filled the new position.

“At the minute we have an officer for sustainability in the class rep council and they make cases for sustainability, but we have no officer for students with disability.”

“It is quite easy to bring it in but, we have to take it a more careful approach, I want to help people with anything from dyslexia and dyspraxia to students that need wheelchairs to come to college.”

“Anyone I have spoken has said that they assumed we already had one.”

Last year, current DCUSU President Vito Moloney Burke brought in an open door policy, now, Healy wants to bring in a ‘open the door’ policy for students dealing with significant stress on campus.

“If I had an issue on campus, if I was struggling with money, or my parent is sick, I wouldn’t be comfortable talking about that in the SU with the big windows there when I might get upset talking about it.”

Other agenda’s on Healy’s manifesto includes, a Mind Over Matter Festival, first aid courses and more efficient Class Rap elections.

Healy said he wants the role of President because he feels he is the “right man for the job.” and “wants to give back” to the university.

On his opposing candidate Christine Farrell, Healy said: “she is a great candidate, and if she was to get it she would be a great president, I’ve seen her do great work as a class rep.”

Voting opened 10am on Tuesday March 5th and will remain open to students until 3pm on Thursday.